Cat's face reattached after fan belt accident

Veterinarians in Boston performed an unusual surgery yesterday to reattach the face of a cat they believe was injured by a car's fan belt when she tried to stay warm under the hood.

Edgar, a 4-year-old, long-haired feline, went missing from her home in Winthrop for three days last week. When she finally came home, her owner found her in her litter box - with part of her face dangling from her head.

"When her owner saw her face, she passed out," said Elizabeth Kendrick, a surgical technician at Angell Animal Medical Center.

Remarkably, Edgar suffered no major blood loss nor did she sustain any permanent nerve damage from her accident. She just needed to have her facial skin stitched back on, veterinary surgeon Michael Pavletic said.

"And she should be fine after this," Pavletic said.

Pavletic reattached Edgar's face using about 35 stitches. "She'll need to take some medicine, but I don't anticipate her having any problems," he said.